First Assembly NLR Audio Podcast

What is the one thing in your life that is holding you back from your potential? What is the one area you've struggled with, but can't seem to overcome?  What is your giant?  We all face difficult battles and tests, but we have a big God on our side.  You + God = an overwhelming majority!

Everyone deals with critics.  Believe it or not, if you choose to take on your giant, not everyone will be pleased. They might question your motives.  Why aren't other people always supportive of your efforts to defeat your giant?

In this series, we have been facing the giants in our lives:  the one thing that holds us back from what God wants us to be.   You may not feel qualified to tackle your giant.  You've been wanting to learn the latest technique, or talk to an expert.  God doesn't need an expert.  He uses unlikely heroes.  It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the God you serve.

What is the big thing in your life that is holding you back?  What is it that keeps you from being everything God wants you to be?  Is it a hurt, illness or financial setback?  If you could pick one area of your life to overcome a weakness, habit, or tendency, what would it be?  What is your giant?  Get ready to fight!

Storms in life can take many different forms.  You may have a financial or health storm, or you've lost a loved one.  You have survived the initial storm, but just when things start looking up, something else happens.  In this message, Rod Loy looks at what happens when One More Thing hits you.

The storms of life - at one time or another, we all face them.  The question is, how do you survive a storm?

Sometimes, our lives are thrown into storms through no fault of our own.  You might lose a loved one, your finances take a sudden turn for the worse, or your older years are not what you anticipated.  What should we do when we are tossed into a storm?

If life is a cruise, nothing is more difficult than a shipwreck.  Shipwrecks in your life aren't like the ones from old movies or television shows.  They result in pain, devastation, and death.  You think everything is great, but then the storm hits.  Many times, we have no control over a shipwreck, but there are times when your ship of life wrecks because of bad decisions. You should have known b...

An interesting story about the Israelites, after the famous battle of Jericho, involves one guy who thought nobody would know what he did in secret. It ended up costing him everything.  In this message, Pastor Patrick Lander looks at the story of Achan.

Do you ever get tired of waiting?  We all get tired in doctor's waiting rooms, at stop lights, and so on.  But do you get tired of waiting on God?  Do you see others experiencing blessings while you wait?   How do you respond when it seems like your answer is never going to come?

We tend to bring our rational, logical American mindset into our relationship with God. We want everything to make good, solid logical sense.  We want to be able to figure it out.  But, God doesn't always work that way.  What do you do when God's instructions don't seem to make sense?

A lot of us have a fear of the unknown.    What makes it so difficult is the uncertainty.  When you know what is coming, you can brace yourself for it.    When you don't know what's ahead, you don't know how to prepare yourself.  How can we deal with this fear?  What's the best way to handle things when you are facing the unknown?

No matter how big or strong you are, there is something you fear.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we all face fear.  But for some of us, it's bigger.  They face fear daily, and it controls their lives.  They are consumed with fear.  If you are struggling with fear, what should you do?  How do you deal with fear?

Almost everyone fears something - heights, closed spaces, snakes, and more.  These fears don't really control your life that much.  But there are some fears, real fears that can dominate your thinking and control your life.  Some of us face those fears daily: rejection, change, failure, other people's opinions, the unknown. What do you fear?  What keeps you from doing and being everything God made...

In this message, Pastor Rod looks at the third preparation principle.  We can never accomplish what God has for us without spending time in His presence.

Do you ever get impatient with God?  We're impatient these days.  We like stuff to happen right now.  We know He has a plan for our lives, but sometimes it seems to take too long.  What can happen if we decide to "rush" things and not wait for God?

We don't like preparation all that much.  It's not always fun.  We'd rather jump right in to what we want to do or what we feel God wants us to do.  We see in the Bible, though, when God called someone, there was often a time of preparation.  When we are ready to go, often God says, "Wait."

Have you ever met a spiritual snob?  You know, someone who feels they are better than you, because of their exalted faith?  Jesus had a lot to say about spiritual snobs.  In this final message in the Between the Lines series, Rod Loy examines the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

In this message, Pastor Rod looks at the Parable of the Sower.  What was Jesus saying with this parable?  What should we do in response?

In this message, Pastor Gary Tomlinson talks about people who are hoarders:  those who have a lot, but are stingy with God.  Are you a hoarder?

Prejudice.  It's about more than black and white.  And it strikes at the core of what it means to be a Christian.  In Luke, chapter 10, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.  What does it have to do with prejudice?  A lot, when you read between the lines...

Pastor Brad's special song for Project Rescue.  Learn more about them and their work at www.projectrescue.com

In the parable of the Unjust Steward, Jesus tells a curious tale about a wealth manager who learns he is to be fired.  He uses his influence to cost his employer money, while setting himself up for the future.  Strangely, once his employer finds out, he commends his dastardly former employee for his shrewdness and cunning.  Why would Jesus teach using this story?  What does it have to teach us tod...

What does Jesus think about empty seats in a church?

Jesus often taught using stories, called parables.  In this particular story, about the Prodigal Son, He did not explain the meaning of it.  He left it up to the listeners to figure out its meaning. In this message, Pastor Rod doesn't tell us the meaning either.  The congregation helped decide what lessons we can learn from this parable, and the results are interesting!